engleski

APPLICATION OF THE ESEM TECHNIQUE IN WOOD RESEARCH Part 2: Comparison of operational modes

An ESEM (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy) technique has been applied to wood objects. ESEM investigations can be performed through several operational modes that offer various sets of environmental and imaging conditions. The comparison of ESEM micrographs with conventional SEM images revealed specific advantages and shortcomings of ESEM technique in studies on genuine and painted wood objects. Merits of the application of ESEM technique for wood are related to the absence of preparation artifacts, such as sputtering irregularities or defects due to shrinkage in vacuum drying. Great ESEM advantages over high-vacuum SEM, such as conduction of dynamic experiments within the chamber, are represented with a sequence of condensation, freezing and drying on a wood specimen. The wood imaging using ESEM proved inferior to that of SEM in terms of lower magnification, sharpness and contrast. However, the article offers guidance for assessment of influential operating parameters and their selection for the optimization of the ESEM work with wood. It may result in micrographs of sufficient resolution, definition and optical quality for study of wood structure on cellular and even intra-cellular level.

wood; SEM; ESEM; wood structure; fractography

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